Tynwald receives - highly amended - report on housing and homelessness

Row in chamber after committee member disputes amendments

Tynwald has received the first report from the Poverty Committee on housing and homelessness for the session 2023-24.

Members voted on more than thirty recommendations put forward from the report which call for actions such as the publication of an 'action plan' for recommendations made by previous committees to be implemented, and the creation of a register of people 'of no fixed abode'.

Presenting the committee's findings, Chairman Juan Watterson MHK said they've reported on a 'number of broad themes':

These include policy and strategic planning considerations, homelessness and emergency housing options for those in need, and the current situation in the housing market.

He also asked for the court to vote on each of the 32 recommendations individually.

Speaking as Chair of the Housing and Communities Board, Douglas North MHK presented 21 amendments to those recommendations - all bar one of which were approved by Tynwald.

Following his remarks, member of the Poverty Committee Sarah Maltby MHK, presented two further amendments from the committee itself, and Douglas Central MHK Chris Thomas presented an amendment to one of those.

However, there was a slight row in the chamber when another member of the committee, MHK Joney Faragher, rose to her feet to critique the amendments put forward by government.

She said she was 'taking her committee hat off' to raise concerns:

But that was something fellow committee member Tanya August-Hanson MLC disagreed with:

It was later clarified that Ms Faragher was not present at a meeting on 22 April between the committee and the Council of Ministers due to 'disrupted travel'.

She however insisted she had made her position clear before today's sitting:

In the end, the report was received as amended via a unanimous vote from both the House of Keys and Legislative Council.

All in all, the debate took nearly two hours.

You can find the report from the Poverty Committee HERE.

The full list of recommendations can be found in today's order paper, available HERE.

Today's votes on Item 10 in full were as follows:

• RECOMMENDATION 1 as printed: CARRIED
• REC 2 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 2 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 3 as printed: CARRIED
• REC 4 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 4 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 5 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 5 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 6 Ashford amendment: CARRIED (divide –  HoK 19 for 4 against - LegCo 6 for 1 against)
• REC 6 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 7 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 7 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 8 as printed: LOST (divide – HoK 2 for 21 against - LegCo 1 for 6 against)
• REC 9 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 9 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 10 Ashford amendment: CARRIED (divide – HoK 19 for 4 against - LegCo 6 for 1 against)
• REC 10 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 11 as printed: LOST
• REC 12 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 12 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 13 as printed: CARRIED
• REC 14 as printed: LOST
• REC 15 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 15 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 16 Ashford amendment: CARRIED (divide – HoK 23 for 0 against - LegCo 6 for 1 against)
• REC 16 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 17 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 17 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 18 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 18 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 19 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 19 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 20 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 20 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 21 as printed: CARRIED
• REC 22 as printed: LOST
• REC 23 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 23 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 24 Ashford amendment: CARRIED (divide – HoK 23 for 0 against - LegCo 6 for 1 against)
• REC 24 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 25 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 25 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 26 Ashford amendment: LOST (divide –  HoK 18 for 5 against - LegCo 3 for 4 against)
• REC 26 as printed: LOST (divide – 8 for 15 against 5 for 2 against)
• REC 27 Thomas amendment: CARRIED (divide – HoK 23 for 0 against - LegCo 7 for 0 against)
• REC 27 Maltby amendment as amended: CARRIED
• REC 27 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 28 as printed: CARRIED
• REC 29 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 29 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 30 Ashford amendment: CARRIED
• REC 30 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 31 Ashford amendment: CARRIED (divide – HoK 20 for 3 against LegCo 5 for 2 against)
• REC 31 as amended: CARRIED
• REC 32 as printed: LOST
• REC 33 from Maltby: LOST (divide – HoK 4 for 19 against LegCo 4 for 3 against)